Deadly Games
by Sango-Tajiiya
Summary: AU. When the Inuyasha gang get sent into a mystical board game by Kagura and Kanna to retrieve the last Shikon shard from kikyo, the four must fight for their lives for twenty turns. But only the winner will make it out of the game.
1. Amusent Park Madness

Deadly Games

Chapter 1

_Smiles at Rumiko Takahashi I do not own any of the Inuyasha characters. They were created by the wondrous Rumiko Takahashi-sama. Cowers away from threatening lawyers I also do not own any aspects similar to any of the Mario Party games that may be used in this fanfic. _

"Come on Inuyasha! Hurry up!" Kagome dragged the reluctant eighteen year old through the walkways of Shikon Park. Inuyasha planted his feet firmly on the ground as Kagome determinedly pulled on his arm. Inuyasha pulled his left arm away from the annoyed girl and crossed it over his right arm. "I'm not going to any stupid magic show until we ride the roller coaster first!" Kagome pouted. "It's not a magic show and it is **not** stupid!" Inuyasha got up in Kagome's face and shouted, "I don't care what it is; why do we have to go see it?" Kagome stood on her tiptoes to make herself as intimidating as possible and shouted back, "Because I promised Kikyo! She **is** my sister, and it's something she put a lot of time and effort into it! Right, Sango-chan?"

Kagome looked over Inuyasha's shoulder at her best friend who was waiting patiently with Miroku for their friends to stop arguing. Sango shrugged. "You're right to want to keep your promise, Kagome-chan, but I also want to ride the roller coaster… really badly!" Kagome sighed in defeat, then retorted in a pouting tone, "Hey! You're supposed to be on my side, Sango-chan!" Then Miroku spoke up. "Kagome-sama, how about we just go ahead and ride the roller coaster first, and then go see your sister before we do anything else?" Kagome crossed her arms and replied, "Alright. But only if you ride with Miroku-sama, Sango-chan!"

Sango blanched and shouted back, "But why!" Kagome put on a cute, mischievous smile and answered, "Because we were supposed to go see Kikyo first, and I had to ride with Miroku-sama on the Twister. Also, because I said so!" Miroku narrowed his eyes and commented quietly, "You two make it sound like riding with me is a bad thing." Sango looked to him. "It is if you decide you don't want to keep your hands to yourself!" Miroku laughed nervously, and Kagome said, "So, how about it, Sango-chan?" Sango sighed roughly and replied with a hint of annoyance in her voice, "Fine."

Kagome giggled and clapped her hands. "Goody! Let's go then!"

Kagome, Inuyasha, Miroku, and Sango had all been the best of friends since fourth grade. They all met when they were put on a team together for soccer. As they became closer, they learned they all loved extreme thrills and especially loved Shikon Park. After fifth grade began, they would always go to Shikon Park during the summer and stay in a nearby hotel for a week. Just one year before they had started visiting Shikon Park during the summer without parental supervision. This was okay because Sango and Kagome were eighteen, and Miroku and Inuyasha were nineteen.

Kagome turned in the opposite direction and began to skip towards the roller coaster. That's right, skip. Not walk, skip. Kagome was known to be a matchmaker at Tokyo U, and she had been trying to get Miroku and Sango together since middle school. It was kind of strange that Kagome could help get any two people together, but she couldn't even help herself in the love category. The truth was, she had a major crush on Inuyasha since fifth grade, but was never brave enough to tell him. And whenever she did gather up the courage, one of them would say the wrong thing and start arguing before Kagome could get anything out in the open.

As for Miroku and Sango, well, they were the biggest challenge Kagome had faced since she had gotten Kouga and Ayame to confess their feelings for each other in tenth grade. Sango spent more time with Kagome than anyone else in the group, and she didn't feel comfortable going anywhere with Miroku unless Kagome or Inuyasha came too. Kagome knew how Miroku felt about Sango because he had told her, but she wasn't sure about Sango's feelings for Miroku. If she did have any feelings for him, she certainly didn't show it. Most of the time she was either angry at him, or she was being coy and withdrawn. Either way, Sango had feelings no one knew about. Not even her best friend, Kagome.

After walking through Shikon Park for a short period of time, they arrived at the entrance to the roller coaster. It was one of the coolest roller coasters in history. The railings were a metallic blood red color and the pods were black with red flames flaring on the sides. The metal bars on the insides of the pods were sturdy and secure. The seats were made from red comfortable leather, and they were positioned high up for any vertical upward climbs. The roller coaster itself was exhilarating. It started out by simply going extremely fast and taking many sharp and upward curved turns like most average roller coasters. Then the riders were taken up and down four consecutive 90 degree hills. After the hills, there was a loop that would take the riders upside down. When they reached the bottom of the loop, the pods would stop moving, and the riders would be put at ease for a few short moments. After a few seconds, the riders would be taken back through the loop, and the rest of the ride. But the second time, they went through the ride backwards.

The wait to get into the roller coaster wasn't long since it was a Wednesday. The four walked up onto the boarding platform and waited in line to get on the roller coaster. Sango tapped her foot impatiently as the line moved as slow as a crippled tortoise. She began to occupy herself by counting the number of tracks on the railings. Soon, they stepped up behind Kagome and Inuyasha who were settling into a pod. Once Inuyasha and Kagome's pod took off, the man in charge of the ride stated simply to Miroku and Sango, "You'll have to wait shortly for the next pod to come." Sango grumbled and blew a piece of hair from her face in frustration. She shivered when Miroku put his hands on her shoulders and said soothingly, "Have patience, Sango. See, here comes the next pod. We didn't have to wait long."

Sango shrugged, and in doing so made Miroku's hands fall away from her shoulders as she climbed into their pod. Miroku climbed in after her, and the man lowered the metal bar into their laps and pushed down on it to make sure it was secure. He gave them the thumbs up, then pushed down the lever, and Sango and Miroku's pod gradually began to move forward.

As their pod slowly climbed up the first hill, Kagome tilted her head to the side and saw Miroku and Sango climbing into their pod. She quietly said to herself, "I didn't think Sango-chan would actually go for it." Inuyasha glanced over at her. "What did you say?" Kagome shook her head. "Nothing." Inuyasha placed his hand on the top of Kagome's head and turned it to face the front. He explained, "Keep your head turned to the front or you'll get major whiplash. Stupid." Kagome briefly removed her hands from the metal bars and clasped them together. She said dreamily, "Ah, Inuyasha… I didn't know you cared." Inuyasha muttered, "I don't…"

Their pod rocked at the tip of the hill, then went cascading down it. Kagome clung to the metal bar using one hand, and desperately held down her skirt with the other. Inuyasha smiled broadly and casually crossed his arms. Thing like roller coasters didn't scare him.

Sango yawned as their pod zipped through the first stage of the roller coaster. Miroku chuckled lightly. "Anxious to get to the fun part?" Sango nodded. "This part is so boring." Sango showed no emotion as their pod began to position itself vertically and climb the first hill. Miroku shifted uncomfortably as silence settled in between them. He looked the other way thinking of what to say. He then turned to Sango and questioned suggestively, "Do you want me to hold you when we go down the hill?" Sango glared at Miroku. "I most certainly do not! You know I don't get scared when I ride this." Miroku shrugged. "Hey, it was worth a try."

Contrary to what she had said previously, Sango screamed loudly throughout the entire ride. As their pod settled in back at the boarding platform, Miroku laughed and helped Sango out of the pod. "You don't get scared, huh?" Sango glared at his remark and retorted once she caught her breath, "I don't. You just kept trying to make passes at me during the ride. I only screamed that loud so you would back off." The two walked to the back of the platform where Kagome and Inuyasha were waiting and Miroku rolled his eyes. "Riiight."

Kagome smiled energetically when Sango and Miroku reached her and Inuyasha. "Okay! Now that you're done riding your precious roller coaster, we're going to go see Kikyo now! No questions!" Keeping her promise as a best friend, Sango made her way to Kagome's side and they walked to Kikyo's tent in groups of two.

Just before Kikyo's tent was a black and navy blue tent. Gold rimmed the edges of it, and black smoke emitted from the bottom of the tent. Inuyasha stopped by it and walked in with interest. There was nothing inside except for three silhouettes in the back and a black and purple mist that made it hard for Inuyasha to breathe. The figure standing in between the other two figures stepped forward. It was a man who had black, slightly wavy hair that cascaded down his back. He wore a blue kimono shirt that had gold ripples on the sleeves, and dark blue pants

He opened his eyes and Inuyasha saw they were a piercing red color. The man finally spoke. "Inuyasha…" Inuyasha cautiously stepped farther into the tent and questioned, "How do you know my name? Who are you?" The man smirked. "I am Naraku. And as for how I know your name; that is simple. I know everything about everyone. And I can grant your deepest wishes using this." Naraku pulled a shining and round pink gem from his sleeve. The only strange thing about it was there seemed to be a large piece missing from the top of it. Naraku turned his attention back to Inuyasha. "But the use of my powers comes with a price. Are you willing to pay it?" Inuyasha felt slightly dizzy and out of sorts. Like he was in a trance. He was ready to agree, when Kagome had finally noticed the lack of his presence and burst into Naraku's tent.

Annoyed, she grabbed Inuyasha's arm and demanded, "What are you doing in here? We have to go see Kikyo now!" The hint of a worried tone wasn't gone completely from Kagome's voice. At the sight of Kagome, Inuyasha felt like himself again and replied, "I was just looking! You aren't my mother, you know!" Kagome shouted, "I know I'm not your mother, because I-!" She decided not to finish her sentence and shook her head. "Just come on!" Inuyasha grudgingly allowed Kagome to lead him out of the tent. Naraku frowned in disappointment and glided back into the shadows.

Once Kagome had brought Inuyasha up to the entrance of Kikyo's tent, the four entered. In the center of the tent, Kikyo sat at a small glass table. She jumped up when Inuyasha, Kagome, Sango, and Miroku came in. She walked up to Kagome and gave her a light hug. "Glad you could make it, emotto-chan." Kagome nodded. "Well, I did promise." Kikyo smiled. "Right. Come this way please." The four followed Kikyo into another room behind the entrance room. In the room, there was only an average tea table and four seats. On the table appeared to be a board game. The only light in the room came from holes in the tent that were shaped like moons and stars.

Kikyo beckoned the four to sit down around the table. She gestured to the board game lying on the table, already set up. "I requested that Kagome come see me, but not for the normal palm readings I do for everyone else. I wanted to share this with her and her friends. No one else knows about it because it can only be played once. The game is fairly easy to play. You work your way around the board for twenty turns, and along the way, you collect items, coins, and play mini-games at the end of each turn. As you play the game, you try to collect the Millennium Stars that are randomly placed around the board. It costs twenty coins to earn the star once you've reached it. After the twenty turns, whoever is ahead of all the other players by means of stars or coins, wins a marvelous prize that I crafted with my miko powers. It grants the wish of whoever possesses it."

Sango smiled. "You've got my interest!" She turned back to the game board. "Let's get to playing!"

Kikyo spoke up, "One moment, Sango-san. I wish to speak to Kagome shortly." Sango sat back. "Alright." As Kagome stood and walked into the front room with Kikyo, Inuyasha thought, '_Grants wishes? Why does that sound so familiar?_' In the front room, Kagome looked to her big sister and asked, "What did you want to talk to me about, onee-san?" Kikyo fiddled with the bow on her miko style pants. "Well, about that prize I mentioned… I don't exactly have it. Well, not all of it anyways." Kikyo pulled a large pink glowing gem shard from her sleeve. "This is all I currently posses. The rest was stolen from me. I was going to try to get it back today. Would you mind occupying your friends until I get it back?" Kagome smiled. "No problem!"

Kikyo sighed with relief. "Good. Now go play. I have regular customers waiting outside." Kagome nodded. "Kay!" She then turned around and walked into the back room.

The four friends played the highly entertaining game long into the evening. They all wanted the prize. At some points, they became extremely competitive, but never put their want to win over the value of their friendship. After seventeen long turns, they fell asleep at the table.

As her last customer exited the tent, Kikyo stacked up her cards, and walked to the back room. She nudged the tent opening to the side and peeked in at the teens. She smiled at the four asleep at the table. Kikyo tightly closed the entrance to the room and whispered to herself, "I'll wake them when I'm ready to leave." Kikyo gasped when she heard a sinister voice behind her question, "And when would that be, Kikyo?" Kikyo spun around to face none other than Naraku. "Naraku! What do you want?"

Naraku demanded, his voice dripping with acid "The rest of the Shikon No Tama! Where is it!" Kikyo steadied herself as Naraku's miasma filled the room and shouted, "Even if I knew where it was, I wouldn't tell you!" Naraku smirked. "Well, then maybe your dear sister and her friends can help us find it." Kikyo stepped forward and pulled her bow and quiver from underneath the table. She positioned an arrow in her bow and pointed it at Naraku. "Don't you dare!" Naraku shook his head. "You shouldn't be so hasty, Kikyo. I just want to ask them a few questions. And so you won't get in my way…" He waved his hand, and Kagura appeared as a wind blew through the tent. She raised her fan, and brought it back down, shouting, "Dance of Blades!"

Golden light shot out from it, and shot through Kikyo in several different places. Kikyo's shaky hand released the bow, and she fell to the ground. Kanna emerged from outside the tent and looked to Naraku. "Find the Shikon no Tama! Or, better yet, have the children find it for us. Kagura, go! Kanna, come with me." Kanna followed Naraku out of the tent, and Kagura sauntered into the back room.

Kikyo's breath was becoming shallow and raspy. She removed the Shikon shard from her sleeve. She stared into it, and willed the last of her magic into it. She knew the only way to save Kagome and the others was to hide the Shikon shard… inside the game.

Kagura raised her fan, and dark power swirled around her. She was ready to bring it down, killing the four teens, when she saw a swift pink light fly into the board game. Kagura's red eyes squinted at the board game. In the center was a glowing light. Kagura's eyes widened. "The Shikon shard! Kanna!" Kanna appeared beside her younger sister. "Kagura…" Kagura looked down at the emotionless girl and said, "Naraku ordered us to use the children to get the Shikon shard. That damned Kikyo sent the Shikon shard inside of the game, but I thought of a way we could use the humans to get it. Use your mirror, Kanna."

Kanna nodded and extended her mirror towards Inuyasha, Kagome, Sango, and Miroku. Their souls flew out from their bodies and into her mirror. Their bodies flopped lifeless to the ground, and Kanna leaned over toward the board game. "Let go…" She whispered to her mirror. Four souls spilled out of her mirror and fell into the board game. The board flashed brightly, and as the light died down, Kagura and Kanna exited the park on Kagura's feather.


	2. Game Preparations

Deadly Games

Chapter 2

_Smiles at Rumiko Takahashi I do not own any of the Inuyasha characters. They were created by the wondrous Rumiko Takahashi-sama. Cowers away from threatening lawyers I also do not own any aspects similar to any of the Mario Party games that may be used in this fanfic. _

Sango sighed deeply as a nice breeze blew over her. It felt so nice; she didn't want to wake up. But, she was already awake, and she was confused about why she was feeling a breeze. Hadn't she fallen asleep in Kikyo's tent? She lazily opened her eyes and pushed herself up on her elbows. She was lying on a platform in a grassy field surrounded by trees. Past the treetops she saw smoke and the very tips of rooftops. On the platform in front of her was an old wooden well. Directly above her was a clear and baby blue sky. She rubbed her eyes and blinked twice. Was she dreaming? Were her eyes tricking her? She raised her fist and slammed it down onto the platform. She cringed as a sore sensation tingled up her arm. Nope, she wasn't dreaming. So it must've been the latter.

She looked over her shoulder and saw Kagome snoozing peacefully behind her. She turned to face her best friend and shook her. "Kagome-chan, get up!" Kagome groaned and blearily opened her eyes. She sat up, stretched, and yawned. "Hey, Sango-chan. What's wrong?"

Sango put her hands on Kagome's shoulders and said with worry, "You want to know what's wrong? Look around!"

Kagome gaped as she took in the scenery. "Where are we?"

Sango looked around a second time. "I don't know, but… but it looks familiar somehow." Suddenly, Kagome realized something. "Where are Inuyasha and Miroku!"

She heard an irritated voice behind her grumble, "We're right here; you don't have to be so loud." Kagome turned around and saw the boys also waking up. She threw herself at Inuyasha and shouted with relief, "I'm so glad you're okay! I'm so scared! Where are we? What's happened?" Kagome then noticed how close she was to Inuyasha and leapt backwards.

Inuyasha stifled a laugh at her antics, and then became dead serious. "If you don't know what's going on, why do you expect me to?" Miroku nodded. "It appears none of us are clued in to the situation. The last thing I remember was falling asleep while were playing that game. But obviously, we are not in Kikyo's tent any longer."

The other three nodded, when a sound came from inside the wooden well behind them. A bright blue light exploded out from inside the well, and a childish voice spoke, "I think I can clue you in." The four friends turned to the well as the light began to dwindle. All was quiet for a short moment, when something popped out of the well and landed on the platform in front of them.

It was a small boy with orange hair and light green eyes. He wore a light blue kimono shirt with white leaves on it in various places, an orange fur vest, navy blue pants, and a light blue held his small ponytail in place. Strangely, his feet looked more like paws than feet, his ears were slightly pointed, and most noticeable about him was his orange furry and poofy tail.

Inuyasha snorted. "Hey kid. Did you lose a bet or something?" The small boy's eyebrow twitched and he cleared his throat. "Ah, no. I am Shippo the kitsune. But you can just call me 'Game Guy'. I will guide and assist you as you play Feudal Fairy Tale!" Miroku closed his eyes in deep thought. "Feudal Fairy Tale? Where have we heard that before?" Kagome piped up, "I know! That's the name of Kikyo's board game!" Shippo smiled broadly. "Oh, but Feudal Fairy Tale is no ordinary board game. You, my friends, are in Feudal Fairy Tale."

All four shouted, "WHAT!" Shippo smiled and continued to explain, "The general rules of the game are just as Kikyo-sama described to you before, but of course, as you are now actually inside the game, the rules are a bit different." Inuyasha crossed his arms. "Just spit it out, kid." Shippo glared at Inuyasha. "That's Game Guy-sama to you! Anyway, like Kikyo-sama said, there is a mini-game after each turn, and there are twenty turns. If any one of the players cannot make it out of a mini-game, they don't get to go on to the next round. You are all playing to make it out with your lives, but… only the winner will be allowed to leave. The others will have died, or are stuck in Feudal Fairy Tale forever. Those are the stakes. Good luck to all of you. If you have any questions, summon me and I'll assist you in anyway Kagura allows me to."

Inuyasha cocked his head to the side. "Who's Kagura?" Shippo crossed his arms. "She's who sent you here of course!" Inuyasha glared. "What!" He looked up to the sky. "Kagura, whoever you are, show yourself!"

Kagura's smug face appeared in the sky. "Hello. I'm sure Shippo has told you the rules. But, there's something else you must know. You are collecting Millennium Stars that can sense the Shikon shard Kikyo has hidden inside this game." Kagome shouted up to Kagura, "What have you done with Kikyo!" Kagura smiled. "Oh, she'll be fine… maybe." Tears welled up in Kagome's eyes. "Kikyo…" She whispered.

She buried her face in Inuyasha's chest, and he wrapped his arm around her back. Kagura continued, "As I was saying, the Millennium Stars you will be collecting have the ability to sense the Shikon shard. But only some of them. If you find a star that cannot sense the Shikon shard, you will have to play a penalty mini-game. The winner is the player who finds the Shikon shard. Whichever one of you wins will be able to use the Shikon no Tama to grant their wish. But afterwards you will become a slave to Naraku and serve him the rest of your life. The others will be trapped here. Have fun playing! Ta ta!"

Miroku looked around as Kagura's face faded away and said sarcastically, "So, I guess it's a lose-lose situation, huh?" Sango glared at Miroku. "Houshi, be serious!" Miroku shrugged. "I'm sorry." Kagome pulled away from Inuyasha and wiped her eyes. Shippo cleared his throat again.

"If you're all done, let's pick the play order, shall we?" The four nodded and Shippo continued, "Please step up here." He gestured to four up-raised platforms. A pink one, a green one, a red one, and a purple one. Sango stood on the pink platform, Kagome stood next to her on the green platform, Inuyasha stepped onto the red platform, and Miroku took his place on the purple platform. Shippo looked over the four, then nodded. He snapped his fingers, and four swiftly spinning dice appeared above Kagome, Sango, Miroku, and Inuyasha's heads.

Shippo explained, "Whenever you're ready, jump up for your dice. Call out the number it lands on when you grab it. Whoever has the smallest number goes last, and likewise, whoever has the largest number goes first." The all nodded and Shippo concluded, "Just stop the dice whenever you're ready." Inuyasha impatiently pushed down on the platform, and the spring pushed him up towards the dye. He grabbed hold of it, and mumbled, "Let's just get this over with." He glared at the block, and turned to Shippo. "Four." Shippo simply smiled.

Next, Miroku cautiously pressed down on the platform and allowed it to send him up. He reached for the dye and came back down. He showed the block to Shippo and stated, "Nine." Inuyasha and Miroku looked at the girls, and they looked to each other nervously. They counted in unison, "One, two, three!" They jumped up together and fell back down their platform with their dice. Sango spoke first, "Eight." Kagome gulped and stated, "Six." Shippo nodded energetically.

"Okay! So the order is Miroku, Sango, Kagome, Inuyasha! Before you begin to play let's get you into better attire!" Shippo conjured up a small blue fire in his tiny palms and tossed it towards the four. The flames engulfed them, and when it dissipated, they all looked completely different.

Instead of the tan khaki pants, pink floral print tank top and a blue jean vest, Sango wore more of the attire of a warrior. Her overall outfit was a black body suit, and the top had a Chinese style collar. The collar was pink and the piece of material that went across her chest was also pink. A small white clasp held it to the shirt. A gold ornament adorned the left of her top. Pink shoulder pads rimmed with white rested on her shoulders, and red cloth held them down. The elbow pads matched the shoulder pads and a piece of red cloth wrapped around her wrist. Her sleeve continued on her hand and connected to her middle finger with a red band. A pink piece of armor stretched from the bottom of her chest down to her thighs and a red belt wrapped it around her waist. There was a piece of armor in the back that was the same as the one in the front without the upper part. She wore black boots with a piece of cloth wrapped around it at the middle of her foot. Softer pink armor went from the rim of her boots and up to her knees.

Sango spread her arms and looked herself over. "I- I look like that demon exterminator I used as a playing piece!" She stuttered. "That's right." Shippo replied.

Kagome's white short sleeve shirt and green pleated skirt morphed into a miko style outfit. She wore a white kimono style shirt with red string sewn across the bottom of the sleeves. Her pants were a dark red color and there was a bow neatly tied at the waistband. Kagome shrieked, "I look like Kikyo!" Shippo rolled his eyes. "More specifically, like the miko playing piece." Kagome nodded. "Right."

Miroku's new outfit was very similar to an average monk's attire. He wore a black robe with a purple over robe tucked into the collar and held there with a bow. A purple armband with light blue beads wrapped around it appeared on his right hand. Miroku scratched his head. "Hmm… very interesting. What is the purpose of changing our clothes?" Shippo looked to Miroku and replied, "It helps create a fuller game play experience, and your new clothes are better suited to this environment."

Inuyasha's muscle shirt and pants changed into totally different clothing. His shirt was similar to Kagome's, but his was red with black strings on the sleeve bottoms. His pants also matched Kagome's. But a rosary was now wrapped his neck. It had plum colored beads with a white fang looking bead every five regular beads. Even more strange was the fact his eyes turned gold, he grew fangs and razor sharp and long nails, and his hair went from ebony black to a pearly silver color!

Inuyasha tucked his arms into his sleeves. "What the heck am I supposed to be?" Shippo answered, "You are the resemblance of the hanyou playing piece." Inuyasha shouted, "Hanyou! I thought he was a demon!" Shippo shook his head. "No… he was a hanyou." Suddenly Inuyasha felt a strange sensation on the top of his head. He looked away from Shippo and saw Kagome hovering in front of him, reaching for something above him. He grabbed Kagome's hand. "What are you doing!"

Kagome pointed above Inuyasha's head and whispered, "Cute…" Inuyasha looked around. "Cute? What's cute?" Shippo snapped and a hand mirror appeared in his tiny palms. He willed it over to Inuyasha, and Inuyasha snatched it from the air. He screamed in surprise and shock when he saw the fuzzy twitching dog ears on his scalp. What really scared him was the absence of his regular human ears on the side of his head. Inuyasha threw the mirror, and it disappeared into thin air.

Shippo clapped his hands. "Well, let's get this game started now, shall we? Miroku, you go first." With that, Shippo disappeared into his blue fire.

Miroku cautiously bent his knees as another spinning dye appeared above his head. He jumped up, and caught the dye in his hands.

… Let the game begin…


	3. The First Turn: The Big Bang

Deadly Games

Chapter 3

_Smiles at Rumiko Takahashi I do not own any of the Inuyasha characters. They were created by the wondrous Rumiko Takahashi-sama. Cowers away from threatening lawyers I also do not own any aspects similar to any of the Mario Party games that may be used in this fanfic._

Miroku, Kagome, Sango, and even Inuyasha held their breath as Miroku dropped back to the ground with the die in his hand. He breathed a sigh of relief and turned to the others. "Five." As soon as the word left his lips, the die dissolved into the air. He looked ahead of him and saw two blue spaces, a red space, another blue space, and the space he would land on… a space with a bomb with a chibi looking face on it. Miroku gulped. '_Whatever that space does, it can't be anything good._'

He took a deep breath, and suddenly he was walking forward. He couldn't control his body pr make himself stop as he slowly approached the bomb space. He noticed the spaces flashed purple very briefly as he stepped on them, but they quickly faded back to their original color. He landed on the bomb space and inhaled deeply as the ground began to shake.

Miroku covered himself with his arms as the space exploded around him. "Houshi!" Sango cried out. She began to rush towards him, but an invisible barrier sprang up and didn't allow her to leave the starting platform. "Houshi!" She shouted his name again and again and banged on the barrier as the smoke cleared. She heaved a sigh of relief when she could begin to see the outlines of his figure. "What was that all about, Sango-chan?" Kagome inquired, her hands on her hips, one eyebrow quirked.

Sango laughed nervously. "Heh heh… nothing! Nothing at all!" The smoke finally cleared, and Miroku stood on the space unharmed, but floating before him was Shippo. Only… this Shippo was different. This Shippo's fang protruded from his mouth, his hair and tail were raven colored, his eyes were blood red, and his outfit was very different. The navy blue pants were now black; so was the shirt. The leaves on the shirt were now shaped like lightning bolts, and they were dark red. The furry vest was now also dark red.

This new Shippo thrust his fist in the air and shouted, "It's Battle Mini-game time! Let's see how many coins will be on the line for this mini-game!" The new Shippo's voice lowered gradually as he continued to talk and he noticed the blank looks he was receiving from the players. Especially Miroku who didn't appreciate the new Shippo making him think he was going to blow up. The new Shippo's red eyes glazed over for a moment, a white light flashed across them briefly, and then they returned to normal. The new Shippo narrowed his eyes. "You bums don't have any coins, do you?" The four all looked down slightly embarrassed.

The new Shippo groaned. "Well, I'm Battle Shippo. Here, you could use these!" As Battle Shippo said the last statement, he thrust his hand out, sending five coins each into Inuyasha, Miroku, Kagome, and Sango. Battle Shippo glared at all them as they stood baffled. "Come back when you have enough coins to play, DORKS!" With that, Battle Shippo stuck his tongue out at them and disappeared in a quick flare of black fire.

Once the last glow from Battle Shippo's fire dissipated, a spinning die appeared above Sango's head. Sango inhaled deeply, then jumped up to catch her die. She landed softly, and released her die as she spoke, "Seven." She began to walk forward before the die even began to disappear. Sango was eager to get the game over with. Unlike Miroku, as Sango passed over each space, they would flash pink. When Sango approached the space where Miroku stood frozen, her natural competitive nature began to surface. She cockily rested her arms behind her head and said sarcastically, "Looks like I'm get to go further than you, doesn't it Houshi?"

Miroku shrugged and rolled his eyes. "I guess so." Sango shivered as she passed Miroku and felt his hand brush against her backside. She turned around to slap him, but her body was suddenly forced forward. As she stopped on the sixth space, she shouted, "That's not fair!" Now it was Miroku's turn to act cocky. "Oh well, that's life. Sometimes you're ahead, and sometimes you're behind." Sango tilted her head to the left and replied coldly, her eyes narrowed dangerously, "Well currently, I'm ahead Houshi, and know what else? Once Inuyasha finishes his turn, we're going to play a mini-game. I'll get you then." Miroku let out a little 'eep' as Sango turned to face the small building she found herself standing in front of. Throughout this whole exchange, Kagome was laughing so much her sides ached, and Inuyasha simply put his famous 'keh' into use when it was all over.

A small, translucent, flat, and golden rectangle appeared before Sango. Bright red letters in beautiful calligraphy read, 'Enter Item Shop?' The second line read, 'Yes' and finally written on the last line was, 'No'. Sango pondered this for a moment. She only had five coins, but it didn't hurt to check. "We don't have all day, y'know!" Kagome yanked on Inuyasha's new dog ear and said, "Sango-chan was reaching for it, Inuyasha! Be patient! And you're wrong, we do have all day. We may have all eternity for all you're aware of!" Inuyasha keh'ed and looking the direction opposite of Kagome, he folded his arms into his big kimono sleeves.

Sango lightly tapped the second line. The whole front of the building swung open, and Sango found herself staring at yet another Shippo sitting at a desk. This Shippo was also different from the first two Shippos. The Shippo in the store wore a lavender shirt and pants of the same color, a pale blue furry vest, and pale blue closed flower buds replaced the leaves and the lightning bolts on the first two Shippos. The newest Shippo's eyes were blue grey, and its hair and tail were white with a pearly pink tint to them. Also, the shopkeeper Shippo looked almost female! When Sango looked closer, she found this Shippo **was** female!

The Shippo spoke hesitantly, and her voice was timid and soft. "Eh… good day Sango-sama. Would you like to buy anything?" Sango nodded, and a small smile appeared on the girl Shippo. "What would you like?" A golden rectangle like the one outside the shop appeared in front of Sango. Except this rectangle was much wider and much longer.

Sango's eyes scrolled down the list. She spotted an item that was second to last on the list that cost three coins. Sango pointed to it. "What does this item do?" The girl Shippo reached forward, and her hands phased through the rectangle. She pulled the item out, and the boomerang Sango had pointed to suddenly become much larger. It was so big; the Shippo had to quickly drop it onto the desk. She stood on her chair to be seen over the boomerang and said, "This is Hiraikotsou. As you can see, it is an extremely large boomerang. It can help defeat enemies and rival players in mini-games, and if you power it up with a Fool's Shikon Shard and throw it at a rival player outside of a mini-game, you can steal coins from that player."

Sango grinned. "I'll take it." The Shippo duplicate nodded and three coins dropped out of Sango and into a small box on the female Shippo's desk. The Shippo closed the box and Hiraikotsou levitated from the desk and thrust itself into Sango. The girl Shippo waved. "Thank you very much Sango-sama. Please come again. Oh… by the way, my name is… it's… well, I'm Shopkeeper Shippo. Goodbye!" Shopkeeper Shippo seemed very flustered as the shop front flew shut.

"Uh… thanks." Sango said quietly confused by Shopkeeper Shippo's sudden shyness towards her. Sango looked to Kagome, and the two girls shrugged to each other.

"Well, guess it's my turn." Kagome said perkily as the next die appeared above her. She jumped up to grab the die, but fell just short. Kagome pouted and Inuyasha stepped forward. Inuyasha pushed Kagome aside lightly and cracked his knuckles. "Let me do it weakling."

"Hey!" Kagome shouted. Inuyasha jumped for the die, but a barrier thrust him back to the ground with a bang. Inuyasha rubbed the sore spot on his back where he landed. "What the heck!" He shouted to no one in particular.

The original Shippo appeared floating before them. He shook his head. "Sorry, can't do that." Inuyasha growled. "What are you saying, punk! Do you mean to say we can't even help each other!" Shippo nodded. "But we're friends!" Kagome pleaded with a close to tears expression on her face. Shippo shrugged. "Sorry, that's not my place to pass judgment. It's all in the rules." As Shippo faded away, he added as an afterthought, a sad expression suddenly going over his face. "Trust me, if I could help you all make it out, I would."

"Shippo…" Kagome whispered to herself once Shippo was completely gone.

Kagome turned to Inuyasha and helped him up. He brushed himself off and said, jabbing his thumb at the still spinning die. "You heard the kid. You gotta do it yourself. Sorry Kagome." Kagome shook her head. "No, it's alright. I'll just try again." Kagome sprang up for the die, this time returning to the ground with it cradled in the crook of her arm. "Got it!" She exclaimed proudly.

Her happy expression faded into disappointment. "Ah great. Two." Kagome groaned and allowed the game's magic to drag her to thesecond space. The one space Kagome dragged her feet across flashed a rich green color. As Kagome's body froze on the second space, three coins shot up from it and flew into Kagome. A green light exploded from the space, and swirled around Kagome, then gathered above her. The light formed itself to read, '1st Place!' As swiftly as they came, the shining letters dissolved and fell on the space around Kagome's feet allowing the space to absorb them.

Kagome smiled brightly. "Hey, two spaces isn't all that bad!" Kagome then positioned her fingers into a peace sign.

Inuyasha growled under his breath and jumped for his die with a determined look on his face. Inuyasha released the die without speaking the number, and a dismayed expression settled into his features as he saw the space he would land on.

The game pulled him three spaces ahead of the starting platform, despite the fact he dug his heels into the ground. The spaces he passed over flashed a dark red. Kagome laughed maniacally as the red space he landed on glowed and three coins were sucked from Inuyasha. "Better luck next time, Inu-chan!" Kagome shouted victoriously. Inuyasha glared at her. "Shut up! I will beat you! I swear it!" Kagome laughed again.

Inuyasha and Kagome may be the best of friends, but once they start fighting, their friendship is very hard to fix.

Kagome's laugh was abruptly interrupted as the four were lifted into the air and Kagome screeched loudly. Sango looked around in annoyance. "Why are we up here? What's going on!" As if to answer her question a golden rectangle much like the one at the shop appeared in the center of the four. Sprawled out on the top of the rectangle was yet **another** Shippo.

Inuyasha moaned. "When will this constant appearance of the twerps end!" The new Shippo giggled and replied in an annoyingly scratchy and high pitched tone. "Never! Cause me and da oder Shippo dudes run dis joint! Now les jus pick the mini-game yall will play!" The newest addition of the Shippo clones had blonde hair with bright red streaks running all through it. His tail was the same. The Shippo's ensemble was yellow and orange.

The fourth Shippo rolled over onto his stomach and pointed down to the rectangle. A white lightning bolt shot from his hand, and suddenly a red bar began to run swiftly over many lines of question marks displayed on the rectangle. The Shippo zapped the box again and the red bar slowed, then finally stopped on a line somewhere in the middle. The line read 'The Big Bang'. The new Shippo shook his head. "Ooo. Dat's a toughie, dat one is. Basically, dere are five pumps and one real big bomb. Yall will take turns pushin da pumps, hopin your pump won't set off the bomb. Miroku crossed his arms. "Now that's not really fair. How do we know which ones won't set off the bomb?"

The Shippo clone shrugged. "Ah, luck. Also, da ones dat aren't connected ta da bomb will give off a weaker, uh… wull da feelin will be differnt when you get real close ta it. An if you do accidentally push da pump dat sets of da bomb, wull, you're pretty much outdo luck den. Da Big Man or that Naraku dude said it takes a lotta good spiritual powers ta win dis one. So good luck to yall! Oh yeah, my name is Mini-Game Shippo! See yall!"

With that, Mini-Game Shippo disappeared, and the four players were sucked into the sky. A bright light engulfed them, and the next thing they knew, they were in a damp and dimly lit stone room. In front of them was a large platform with six different colored pumps, and sitting behind them was, like Mini-Game Shippo said,one real big bomb.

Kagome realized there was no one standing in front of her, and she inhaled sharply. Kagome bit her lip and hesitantly began to walk up the short staircase onto the platform. Inuyasha called out to Kagome, "Kagome, don't!" Kagome shook her head. "I have to. There's no other way. But don't worry, I have strong spiritual powers and Mini-Game Shippo said they would come in handy for this mini-game."

Kagome took a deep breath, and then stepped up to the pumps. She carefully ran her hand over the pumps. Her hand stopped over the pink one. The others assumed Kagome sensed something in that pump that was different from the others. She placed both hands on top of the handle and slowly wrapped her fingers around it. She pushed it down in a rush, wanting to get it over with. She turned to the bomb, and to her relief only some steam blew out from under the bomb fuse.

Kagome ran down the stairs on the other side, and took her place at the end of the line, inhaling and exhaling deeply. She had been really scared. Next up was Miroku. He climbed up the stairs and stood determined in front of the pumps. He refused to die there. Like Kagome, it was easy for him to sense which ones were safe because of his spiritual powers he possessed. All of his ancestors **were** monks after all. Using one hand, he pushed down the handle of the blue pump. Like before, the bomb exhausted steam and nothing more. He descended the stairs and stood behind the others, his breathing coming out normally. He wouldn't let the others know, but is heart was beating so fast, he thought it was possible it would beat its way right out of his chest. In truth, he was scared beyond belief!

Inuyasha was next in line. He walked up the stairs, his back stiff.He approached the pumps, andhis posture faltered a bit as he remembered he had no spiritual powers whatsoever. But he grinned as he ran his hands across the cold metal handles, and he was actually able to tell a difference in them. Inuyasha stopped and pushed the white handle down with much force. As the white steam puffed out of the bomb, Inuyasha proudly sauntered down the steps on the other side, a cocky grin on his lips. He was grateful for the half demon blood he was gifted with for the game. It helped him out a bit.

Sango gulped as Inuyasha stood at the end of the line. It was her turn. She sloppily walked up the stairs and stood before the two remaining pumps. The green one and the orange one. Sango began to sweat profusely when she realized she couldn't tell the difference between the two! She had no spiritual powers whatsoever! In both the human world and the Feudal Fairy Tale world, she was just an average human. That was a disadvantage in the long run.

She closed her eyes and hoped she would pick the right pump. She rested her hand on the orange pump, and smiled down at her friends, afraid it might be her last time to. She coiled her fingers under it and pushed it down. She turned to the bomb, only to realize her fears were true. A white screen had appeared in the center of the bomb, and red numbers inside it were ticking down from ten to zero.

Sango covered her mouth with her hands and bulging tears slid swiftly down her cheeks. Her instinct was to run away, but her body was frozen to the spot. '_Oh god! I'm going to die!_' "SANGO!" Miroku shouted. He ran towards the platform, but an electric barrier quickly blocked his way. "SANGO!" He shouted as he dug his fingers into the barrier.

His breath became shallow as he ripped away at the barrier and electric bolts ran through his arms, causing him much pain. He cried out as the electricity tore gashes in his arms. "No Miroku! Stop!" Sango screamed, the tears falling faster. As the clock ticked down to four, Miroku ripped the barrier down the middle, and scrambled onto the platform.

He ripped Sango from the spot she was frozen to and jumped off the platform, rolling onto the ground, shielding Sango with his own body. Inuyasha shoved Kagome to the ground and held her tightly as the bomb exploded.

Sango wiped away the last few tears as the smoke from the bomb cleared, and Miroku pushed himself up. "Hey." Was all he said. Sango gripped Miroku's arms. "Oh my god, Miroku, you idiot! Don't ever do that again! You could've died!" Miroku shrugged. "It was my life or yours." Sango gaped at him, and then threw herself back into his arms, sobbing into his chest. He ran his hands through her hair tenderly as she cried, "Miroku! I was so scared!"

Inuyasha and Kagome sat up from the ground as well and smiled at each other. Kagome blushed and dusted herself off. "Why… why did you protect me?" Inuyasha shrugged. "Because you can't take care of yourself." He stopped abruptly at the hurt in Kagome's eyes. "And because you're my best friend." He added, making Kagome smile.

The four were lifted from the ground and back into the sky. The drifted slowly back to their respective spaces on the playing board. Miroku gave Sango the thumbs up and she smiled, a blush tinting her cheeks as she wiped at her eyes.

Kagura's face once again appeared in the sky. She grinned and there was an evil glint in her piercing red eyes. "Very well done. You managed to survive your first turn in Feudal Fairy Tale. But don't go getting a big head over it. The game will keep getting harder. Good luck. You'll need it." Her face dissolved from the sky, and the players were stood gaping at the sky where Kagura's face had once been.

At once, the same thought ran through all four of the teenager's heads. '_HARDER?_'


End file.
